This I Promise You
by Opal Soul
Summary: A songfic chronicling one of the greatest love stories ever written or conceived. Follows Usagi and Mamoru through the years.


**This I Promise You**  
_A Songfic_  
By: Opal Soul

  
  
    Tuxedo Kamen, better known as Chiba Mamoru, stood in the shadows, cloaked in darkness and anonymity. His storm-filled eyes followed a petite blonde wistfully as she gestured with exaggerated enthusiasm at her four closest friends. Protestations reached his sensitive, alert ears: "Minna-chan! Let's go get some burgers-- boy, am I starved."  
     _Liar. Usako, you liar_. Mamoru's heart constricted as he sensed her fatigue and the overwhelming urge to go home and sleep. His fist clenched as he swore silently. _Damn. Can't they see she's exhausted?_ He alone understood the tremendous energy Sailor Moon used during her attacks. Compared to the other senshi, her trademark moon powers seemed limited and weak, but Mamoru realized that without their leader the team of senshi would have fallen long ago.  
     Sailor Jupiter had de-transformed into Kino Makoto, and the tall brunette said, "Usagi-chan, it's 3:40 in the morning. We still have school tomorrow, and I'll be damned if I'm going to go cavorting with you at this ungodly hour." Mamoru's mouth hinted at a smile; the seemingly tireless Sailor Jupiter, tired? Her choice words hadn't shocked the high school junior. Makoto was usually pleasant and good-natured when Mamoru encountered her, but he had a hunch it had something to do with the tall, sandy-haired arcade worker who was his best friend.  
     Mamoru agreed with her sympathetically; it was an ungodly hour. 3:25 AM had seen the handsome Tuxedo Kamen running furiously along the streets of Tokyo, but he'd have been damned if he hadn't shown up. His arrival had been perfectly timed, as usual, and his impeccable good looks had, as always, mesmerized Sailor Moon to the point of distraction. He had scooped her up and out of the doomed youma's way, fear racing his heart. Had he been just a second later . . .   
     Mamoru shifted his gaze back to the park. The girls had gone their separate ways, leaving his Usako alone. He watched, transfixed, as his love knelt under the old, protected, and much-beloved sakura tree that was the focal point of the beautiful park. His acute eyes caught the shimmering of silver as it fell from her limpid eyes of blue.  
  
**_When the visions around you  
Bring tears to your eyes_**  
  
     Mamoru rounded the corner sleepily, not bothering to see where he put his feet. Something soft collided into his chest, inducing him to snap impatiently, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"  
     "Gomen, Mamoru-kun," a blonde murmured.  
     Mamoru's expression softened considerably as he took in the sight of her hungrily. Tsukino Usagi was clothed in the traditional sailor costume parody the Juuban district assigned as uniforms. Her blue eyes-- they engulfed him, or so he thought, and he felt himself drown in the sadness and loneliness and, most heartbreaking of all, tiredness of them. _God, Usako, don't be tired_. And yet, it was true. Her eyes looked old-- the wisdom of a thousand lifetimes was written in the innocence and purity. "Odango Atama, are you alright?"  
     She stiffened considerably, swatting his arms away from her shoulders. "I've never been better, you baka."  
     _Usako . . . oh, Usako . . . let me in_, Mamoru pleaded with his eloquent eyes as his world walked away.  
  
**_And all that surround you  
Are secrets and lies_**  
  
     A violent thunderstorm raged overhead as Mamoru hurried back to his apartment, holding a black umbrella over his head. He almost missed the hunched figure that curled on the sidewalk in defeat, sobbing quietly and quivering. "Odango Atama?" he asked hesitantly, kneeling and offering her shelter from the pelting drops of rain.  
     "Mamoru-kun!" she cried, flinging her arms around his shoulders out of sheer fright. "I'm so afraid!" She braced herself for the inevitable stinging insult and tirade of mockery.  
     Mamoru wanted to close his eyes and freeze time as he savored the feel of his angel in his arms. _Usako, open your eyes and see_. "What's wrong, Usagi-chan?" he said gently, caressing her with his voice.  
     Her eyes opened wide as she answered solemnly, "Mamoru-kun, I hate thunderstorms and I-- " She was cut off by an especially loud thunderclap, sounding with a great flash of lightning. She uttered a helpless shriek as she clung to him.  
     "We can talk at my apartment," Mamoru offered with a smile. "It's straight ahead." He helped her rise to her feet, making sure to keep his arm snuggled possessively around her small waist.  
     _Mamoru . . . _ Usagi thought, perplexed, unknowingly creasing her brow. _Why do you have to be so wonderful?_  
     As though he could read her mind, he turned to her, smiling, "We're here. How does some hot cocoa sound?"  
  
**_I'll be your strength  
I'll be your hope  
Keeping your faith when it's gone_**  
  
     Usagi stared into the blazing fireplace of Mamoru's elegant, yet impersonal, apartment. The flames danced and flickered, playing across her face in a mysterious air that her host didn't miss. He noted the changing expressions that transformed her face, one by one, as they took him on a roller coaster of emotions. "Usagi-chan," Mamoru began.  
     "Hmm?" she asked drowsily.  
     "Usagi, stop pretending, please," he pleaded. "God, I know you're hurting inside, and I'd do anything to help, but . . . "  
     Tears spilled over into the cerulean depths of her eyes. "Mamoru, don't," she warned.  
     He stopped, frustrated. "Usagi, you're doing it again," he said gently. "I want to help you."  
     "Why?" she burst out, angry. "You hate me; you know you do." Even as she uttered the words, she wondered if they were true. Reluctantly she recalled the soft touch and smiles he had offered her during the tempest. She remembered his laughter as she had childishly stirred her hot cocoa with the spoon, exclaiming at the whirling pools of chocolate. It had been far from mocking laughter-- it had been amused and almost wistful.  
     Mamoru's face took on a shade of hurt. "Usagi, I'm truly sorry if that's how you think I feel. I-- "  
     "Mamoru, I didn't mean it," she corrected herself. "I-- I wasn't thinking. I just feel like . . . "  
     Hope soared in his heart as he took her hand in his, patting it as a child's, comfortingly. "Lonely, right?" He nodded at the startled, guilty expression that started from her eyes. "Usagi, I know exactly how you feel. You know, in a crowd, you can even lose yourself, because you don't feel that void in you filled."  
     She was amazed at his insight into her concealed emotions. "How . . . ?"  
     He sighed, suppressing the urge to cry and take her into his arms. "Everyone feels that way, Usagi. It's not just you. I feel it every day of my life. But do you know what can fill that void, Usagi?" he whispered, voice charged with emotion, cracking with its intensity. "That special someone . . . the only one in the world God created for you." _Usako . . . open your eyes_.  
  
**_The one you should call  
Was standing here all along_**  
  
     Mamoru stared longingly after the now-cheerful, lithe figure that half-skipped away from his apartment. The petite blonde looked up impulsively and waved, bright smile illuminating her beautiful, innocent face. A smile broke on Mamoru's own face, giving it the goofy, lovesick look of those truly struck by Cupid's arrow. _If only . . .   
  
**And I will take you in my arms**_  
  
     What was the warmth that had shot through his body as he had held his Usako? He shook his head; words couldn't describe the delicious sensation. It had fulfilled every longing in his aching heart. It had been so . . . right, and the brief, heady moment when she had melted against him was indescribable even now and unrelivable.  
  
**_And hold you right where you belong  
Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you  
This I promise you_**  
  
     It had been another youma attack, again in the park. Sailor Moon and her friends were arguing, again, as to whose fault it was that the attack had dragged on. Tuxedo Kamen stepped into the open air, clearing his throat tentatively. "Excuse me, senshi . . . may I speak with Sailor Moon?"  
     Instantly the others were on their guards. "What do you want, Tuxedo Kamen?" the impulsive, short-fused Sailor Jupiter growled, putting her able fists up defensively.  
     Sailor Mercury's blue eyes held doubt in them as she said, somewhat firmly, "Tuxedo Kamen, if you want to speak with her, I suggest you do it in front of us."  
     Tuxedo Kamen sighed, seeing no other way out. He allowed, "Then I'll take Sailor Moon under that tree. It's only six feet away." Quickly noticing the ungiving look in Sailor Mars' eyes, he pleaded, "It's important and very . . . " He trailed off, embarrassed.  
     Sailor Venus stepped in quietly. "Minna-chan, I say we give him that. Everyone deserves some time to be alone, ne?" She sent a knowing wink towards Tuxedo Kamen, and he inwardly sighed with relief. Nodding to the reluctant senshi, he grasped Sailor Moon's elbow and guided her gently, if somewhat urgently, to the sakura tree.  
     "Well?" Sailor Moon's eyes were eager, and her heart was thumping wildly. Vaguely she wondered if Tuxedo Kamen-sama, as she called him, could hear it . . .   
     "Sailor Moon, I-- I have to tell you something."  
     "Yes?" Her eyelashes fluttered in the wind, and he swallowed hard.  
     "Well, you see, I know who you truly are," he began.  
     Her smile vanished, and she stammered, "But-- but then you can't-- I mean . . . "  
     "Hear me out, please, Usako," he asked humbly, desperately.  
     She stiffened, half with pleasure, half with dread. Closing her eyes, she thought helplessly, _Usako. I've dreamt of someone calling me that, for as long as I can remember. And now . . . now that Tuxedo Kamen-sama calls me 'his little bunny,' all I can do is long for Mamoru-kun to stand in his place . . . _ Her thoughts sped haphazardly as, in a daze, she asked dreamily, "Mamo-chan? What did you just call me?"  
     It was Tuxedo Kamen's turn to stiffen, half with pleasure, half with alarm. _Usako, did you just call me . . . Mamo-chan? But-- _ "Usako, did you just call me . . . Mamo-chan?"  
     Her breath caught in her throat as she apologized, "I-- I wasn't thinking, again. Gomen." She turned as if to go.  
     Tuxedo Kamen's hand shot out to close around her slender wrist, and he drew her closer instead. His voice was husky as he murmured, "Usako, take . . . take my mask off."  
     Trembling, she reached to obey him. A gasp escaped as she recognized the man now revealed. "Mamoru-kun?" Her voice broke.  
     "Usako, I . . . I can't take it anymore, and I know I have to tell you this before I go insane. I-- I love somebody; I love every part of her. I love the heroic Sailor Moon, who bravely fights every night for Tokyo's safety with never a complaint. I love the way she cries underneath the sakura tree-- _this_ sakura tree-- when she thinks nobody's watching. But she's wrong because I'm watching her, always. I love the way her hair falls over her shoulders, and the sparkle in her eyes, and the pert nose that sits just above her full, red lips. But most of all, I love Sailor Moon when she's not Sailor Moon-- when she's Tsukino Usagi, the girl of my dreams. I love her when she's fallen on the pavement and can't get up, I love her when she's blowing bubbles into her double chocolate milkshake, and even when she's blowing raspberries at her friend Hino Rei." A smile crossed his face as he traced her jaw with his finger. "Usako, if I could just dare to-- dare to hope that you . . . "  
     "Mamo-chan, I . . . I don't know what to say." She giggled nervously, then commenced, "But I-- I can . . . I can _show_ you what I feel . . . " (A/N: Get your mind out of the gutter! _No hentai_!) She threw her arms around his tall figure, and he stooped to accommodate her.  
     Their lips met, and a light exploded around them, blinding the panicking senshi. When it faded to a pure glow, a beautiful princess with long, flowing blond hair tied ingeniously into two meatballs bent backwards into the caressing kiss of a handsome prince dressed in battle armor, whose ebony hair mixed deliciously with the rays of golden sunshine. Laughter was heard as they parted, and the two lovers said their names, almost simultaneously.  
     "Princess Serenity," the tall man said, bowing courteously over her hand and brushing it romantically with his lips.  
     "Prince Endymion," she murmured in response. A forgotten locket began to sing an age-old love song . . .   
     "I've found you at last."  
     "I've found you at last."  
  
**_I've loved you forever  
In lifetimes before_**  
  
     Tears trailed down the newly-awakened princess's innocent face as she half-laughed, half-cried, "Endy-chan, I-- I can't believe I've finally, finally gotten you back. It's been forever."  
     Her prince drew her closer still as he murmured, "Now that I've found you, beloved, I'm never going to let you go." His eyes were fierce as his heart swelled, fuller than it had ever been before . . .   
     With the last declared statement, the blinding flash surrounded them again, leaving in the wake of its glow Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen. Their hearts cried out to each other and, smiling, they quietly de-transformed to leave the lovers unto lovers, Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru. The tall, early-matured man said, "Usako, I want you to know . . . that fear, that loneliness you felt-- it's gone. Forever."  
     Wonderingly, she tipped her face to gaze into his eyes. "So it is. An eternity of solitude has left us forever."  
     Eternity _is_ forever.  
  
**_And I promise you never  
Will you hurt any more_**  
  
     Everyone was nervous.  
     Mizuno Ami, third-year medical student at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, had flown back the previous week. She sat uneasily, fidgeting and glancing nervously at the clock. Her boyfriend, young Doctor Greg Matthews, was an associate of the prospective bridegroom, and now he took her hand gently into his, smiling. The sunlight glinted on the sapphire engagement ring resting placidly on her slender hand.  
     Hino Rei, fiery priestess of the Cherry Hill Temple, paced anxiously back and forth in front of the modest white church, muttering, "I just knew this would happen . . . Odango Atama is late, and everything will be ruined. Everything!" Darkly she glared at Kudo Yuuchiro, who had crept up behind her, attempting to comfort her. The songwriter and producer put his hands up silently in mock defeat, and a soft expression came into her violet eyes; she reached for him urgently.  
     Kino Makoto, owner of The Rose Garden, an extremely successful chain restaurant in Japan, bristled, rubbing her hands together in anticipation of getting them around the slender white neck of one doomed rabbit. Her childhood friend, psychiatrist Otawa Ken, murmured in her ear, "Mako-chan, relax." He continued, despite the fierce look in her eyes. "Yes, Mako-chan, I know it's her wedding day-- and I know she's late. One day you'll do the same." His smile sent a warmth shooting through her, and she smiled broadly back.  
     Aino Minako, respected fashion consultant and retired actress, giggled excitedly with her husband, Furuhata Motoki. She fixed the young news anchor's bowtie professionally, soothing, "Toki-chan, it will be all right. Ours turned out wonderfully." She laughed, patting her slightly rounded stomach. His easygoing, handsome facade broke into a smile as he drew his wife near to kiss her.  
     The collegebound brother of the bride, Tsukino Shingo, made a face. "Save it!" he yelled at the pair, who merely giggled in unison. He turned with disgust to his girlfriend, the already renowned artist Kendoshima Mika.  
     She made an indignant sound and accused, "Tsukino-san, you have the romance of a rock."  
     Shingo groaned. Her use of his formal name was a sure sign of her anger. He tried to protest to his annoyed girlfriend.  
     Doctor Chiba Mamoru stood stiffly in the tuxedo that had become like a second skin to him in his younger days. He smiled briefly; it was only fitting that the fateful suit that had led his stray bunny to him should take part in _his_ day . . .   
     He frowned. Just where was that rabbit, anyway?  
     He thought of the past ten years. His Usako was twenty-four now; he was a whopping twenty-seven. It had been a hard ten years, starting from the very day her failing test paper had made its way into his carefully brushed hair. But now-- now the day had come when they could put everything behind them and start anew. The Silver Millennium, the months of squabbling, the heartwrenching breakup-- everything was in the past. Today they would face their worst fear: separation for eternity. Years ago, Mamoru and Usagi had been put through-- yes, the word for it _was_ hell, Mamoru conceded. Usagi would die if she stayed with Mamoru, and they could forget marriage. He was a walking peril to her, and he understood it. Neo-King Endymion had revealed the somewhat-vague-and-illogical explanation for the nightmares, but Mamoru couldn't help harboring a few fears that even his brightly laughing Usako couldn't erase. Usually.  
     "I'm _so_ sorry I'm so late, minna-chan! I got up early; really I did, but then the phone rang, and you see, it was . . . " The ever-busy secretary Tsukino Usagi had entered the room, flailing her arms about as usual, stringing the excuses along by the mile.  
     A smile appeared on Mamoru's face. "Usako," he said reproachfully, "just go and get ready."  
     "Of course, Mamo-chan!" Usagi squealed, rushing over to kiss him. "Oops! I forgot; it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding!" She literally pushed her bridesmaids out of the room, ordering, "Rei-chan! _Get my dress_!"  
     Mamoru's joy crowded into his heart, leaving no room for his fear.  
  
**_I give you my word  
I give you my heart  
This is a battle we've won_**  
  
     Mamoru watched proudly as his beautiful bride walked regally to him, already in the grace she would need as the future queen of Neo-Tokyo. In her clinging white gown, she was ethereal and completely breathtaking to the very red and blushing groom. The silk clung to her soft curves as the lace caressed her otherwise bare shoulders. The material of the gown could be heard swishing down the gold velvet carpet, a fitting harmony to the melody of the organ. The veil trailed many feet behind the shy blonde, and her hair, silver woven in with the gold, added to the waterfall.  
     She tipped her head to smile as she reached his side, and his heart leapt into his throat. Vaguely he heard the slightly plump pastor take them through the traditional vows. He heard a soft, confident voice proclaim, "I do. A thousand times I will!"  
     A voice not his own-- too deep, too sure of himself, promised, "I do."  
     "With the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
     A hush came over the church. Carefully Mamoru's hands lifted the gauze away from Usagi's face. She half-smiled at him, encouraging with her eyes. Stars, he loved her eyes-- they reflected everything in her, everything he loved. His storm-filled eyes stared deep in hers and found what he had been looking for even lifetimes ago. He bent toward her, closing his eyes. Their lips met and, with them, their souls.  
     Sighs were heard collectively around the chapel. Minako, the only one of her close friends who wasn't a bridesmaid due to her pregnancy, bawled into her handkerchief as her husband dabbed at his eyes with a lacy handkerchief-- Minako's, of course. Rei, the maid of honor, bit her lip as her hands bunched the pink dress she wore. A gentle smile was found on the baby blue-clad Ami's face as she watched her prince and princess. Makoto winked at a flustered Ken, who was red, both at the happiness his friends had found and at the lovely picture his secret love made in her light green dress. Usagi's mother, Ikuko, sat next to her son, sobbing happily into the lapel of his tuxedo while Mika held Shingo's hand tightly in forgiveness. Even the father of the bride, Kenji, was smiling through tears, though he tried to look fierce.  
     Thunderous applause sounded, echoing resonantly as the newly married couple drew apart, breathless.  
  
**_And with this vow  
Forever had now begun_**  
  
     Cruising in the Caribbean was heaven, or so Usagi thought. They had boarded the boat that evening after an exhausting plane trip following their wedding. Dinner had been delicious, especially to her. She had laughed childishly at all the exotic dishes set before them and brushed off her Mamo-chan's jibes about her weight and eating habits. "Mamo-chan," she had replied innocently. "Eating is an art, and _I'm_ an artist!" He had chuckled and tugged her onto the dance floor.  
     Now, Usagi trembled in her sheer nightgown and light robe, waiting for her prince. As if in answer to her silent call, Mamoru stepped into the luscious bedroom. "Waiting long, Usako?"  
     "No, Mamo-chan," she said shyly, glancing away from his berobed form.  
     He came closer, taking her tentatively into his arms. "Usako, I sense your fear." At the protest that crept into her innocent eyes, he put a finger to her lips. "Usako, don't bother hiding it. I know you, and I know how you feel, and what you think. So, in light of all this, tonight . . . tonight we're just going to talk to each other. How does that sound?"  
     A sigh of relief escaped her lips. "Mamo-chan, I love you, but I don't know about . . . " She blushed. "I feel badly, cheating you out of your wedding night."  
     Mamoru chuckled. "Baby, don't you realize we have forever to worry about that?" He settled himself against the big pillows comfortably and motioned to his side. "Come, Usako."  
     Obediently she crawled into bed beside him, snuggling into his loving arms.  
  
**_Just close your eyes  
Each loving day_**  
  
     The day of the coronation had come and gone. The crowned Neo-King Endymion was soothing his nervous wife, Neo-Queen Serenity. "Mamo-chan, what if we don't have time to be together any more?" she fretted, pacing back and forth in the Royal Library.  
     The dark-haired king silently put his arms around his wife's still-trim waist. He let his fingers trace circles on her slightly rounded stomach. "Usako, we'll always be together, especially now that we have one more thing in common."  
     The queen's face flushed at the mention of the baby who was coming in eight months. "Mamo-chan?" she asked childishly, turning in his arms to face him.  
     "Yes, my love?"  
     "What if . . . what if you stop loving me?" Seeing the incredulous and hurt expression on her husband's face, she hurried on. "It's just-- oh, Mamo-chan, you're so smart, and I'm so . . . dumb and stupid. And there are millions and _millions_ of women who would just love to be even _talking_ to you, and half of them are beautiful. And a lot of them are more beautiful than I, Mamo-chan, and you'll just see one and you'll-- or you'll stop loving me as you do now. You'll still love me, but as a friend, and you'll start thinking to yourself, 'Why did I have to marry _her_? I could have had any woman in the world . . . '"  
     Endymion groaned. "Usako, what do I have to do to convince you? You're in my heart, always and forever. Nobody's _ever_ going to come between us; you understand?" His wife was still, and so he captured her lips in his own.  
     When they broke apart, Serenity murmured breathlessly, "I understand."  
  
**_I know this feeling won't go away  
Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you  
This I promise you_**  
  
     The doctor's wife was having a baby, and she was screaming with pain in the special bedroom they had set aside for sicknesses. The king was pacing worriedly in the corridor, furious that they refused to let him in to see the birthing. "I should be in there!" he berated himself. "She needs me!"  
     Actually, Neo-King Endymion was very faithful to his wife, and he and the doctor were one and the same. The former Doctor Chiba was not taking his own age-old advice: "Just relax; everything will be okay." He finally sympathized wholeheartedly with the usually crying nervous wrecks who used to line the waiting rooms of the hospital he had worked for. Now tears of frustration came to his own eyes as he heard another shriek uttered from the bedroom where his wife lay. He vaguely made out, "_Mamo-chaann! Make it stop_!"  
     An old friend, Dr. Greg Matthews, comforted, "You know, that's how I felt when Ami had her first little one. But don't worry; these senshi are a different race, and there's really no need to worry. I wish I could have foreseen Ami's safe delivery, but I used a lot of tissues that day." Greg's psychic powers were dormant now and had been ever since he had become a certified adult at eighteen.  
     Endymion tried to smile. "Thanks, Greg," he managed.  
     The younger man reminded the king, "Besides, it's my wife who's doing the delivery, and Ami will take _extra_ care of her best friend."  
     Endymion turned with despair-filled eyes, wincing as another scream reached his ears. _Usako, if only this were just another youma. I'd transform into the almost-forgotten hero of your youth, Tuxedo Kamen, and whisk you away . . . _  
  
**_Over and over I fall  
When I hear you call_**  
  
     Neo-King Endymion wandered the now-lifeless halls. His rabbit was gone, put to sleep by a white-haired prince who was morbidly fascinated with the Neo-Queen. His fist connected in anger with an alabaster wall, which crumbled beneath his strength, leaving him wincing in pain. He glanced mildly at the damage; it was a white wall, and it only served to remind him again of the purity of his wife. The room he had entered unknowingly was high and simple, Grecian in concept. Pillars supported the painted ceiling, which shaded a large, oddly-shaped and somehow charming piece of crystal. The rainbow lights emulating from it momentarily blinded the king, but he stepped closer, not at all surprised that his wandering feet had taken him here yet again. He peered into the heart of the crystal, where it was clear as glass. Encased in the Silver Imperium Crystal's protection was his wife.  
     She was pale, and it was the only indication he had that told him she wasn't merely asleep. Still, even in this half-death, half-life, she looked serene, as her name would suggest. Despite himself, the king smiled, remembering a time when a simple walk down the block would have induced Serenity to utter chaos. Once she had ascended the throne, however, the queen had developed grace, allowing her to walk silently along the halls. His sensitive ears could always, however, make out the soft swishing of her royal skirts as she made her way down the carpeted hallways in their enormous palace. Now-- wait, what was that sound? It sounded familiar, like a silken waterfall, and he could almost smell a waft of perfume-- vanilla and cherry blossoms, the trademark of his queen.  
     He whirled quickly, hoping to surprise whoever it was in their tracks. No-one was there but the still air, and his breath came quickly in puffs.  
  
**_Without you in my life, baby  
I just wouldn't be living at all_**  
  
     She was safe. She was safe, and she was here; she was in his loving arms. The king choked out a sob as he murmured brokenly, over and over again: "Thank God I have you back, Usako." The queen's slender arms were wrapped tightly around her husband's broad shoulders as she struggled not to tremble.  
     "Mamo-chan," she answered, "I'm so _glad_ to be back." Her beautiful features had a gentle smile written in them.  
     "I'm never going to let you go," he whispered. "Welcome home."  
     Her heart smiled as her lips trembled beneath his. She was home-- home in her Mamo-chan's arms. Home was where the heart was, and she had found where she belonged.  
  
**_And I will take you in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong  
Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you, babe_**  
  
     It was the ever-young and ever-handsome king's thirteen-thousandth birthday. He had been married to his queen for what seemed like eternity to their subjects, but for them it had been only a blink of their eyes. Chibi-Usa, their eldest daughter, was no longer chibi and had long since married her Elios. Today Endymion and Serenity were stepping down from the throne to make way for their heir, Neo-Princess Serenity. They were retiring to the Moon Palace, which Endymion had insisted on rebuilding years ago.  
     He wiped tears away from his eyes as he watched the coronation and the sparkling jewels on his daughter's pink hair. The royal crown was placed on Elios's white hair, and his teeth flashed in a smile for his wife. The new queen of Crystal Tokyo waved to the people, diamond-shaped odangoes undone for once. Endymion turned toward his wife, who stood smiling proudly at the ceremony.  
     "Usako," he said, "have I ever told you how much I love you?"  
     She smiled, surprised. "Why, Mamo-chan . . . I didn't know you felt that way." She batted her long eyelashes coquettishly at her husband.  
     Her joke was lost on him, and he answered seriously, "Well, I do. And I always will. I promise." His midnight eyes held nothing but adoration for his lovely wife.  
     Even after all those years, her Mamoru could still make her blush. Now red rose in her cheeks as she pushed a piece of parchment into his hands. "Mamo-chan, I-- I wrote this for you-- for your birthday."  
     He took it carefully and unscrolled it, reading it silently.  
  
**Your Promises Are Kisses**  
  
I love the spark in your eyes  
As you look endlessly into mine  
When they're not on me, I try  
But their midnight depths stay in my mind  
  
I love the smirk on your lips  
As they move slowly to mock me  
I pout and my smile slips  
But I love the way you tease me  
  
I love the sweet feeling  
As I melt into your arms  
The emotion is final and sealing  
Full of strength and warmth  
  
I love the spreading sensations  
As you kiss me carefully  
Thrills ripple up-- thrills of pure elation  
Fingers entwine into your hair of ebony  
  
In your arms you tip me backwards  
Closer still into your loving curve  
And then you whisper beautiful, humble words:  
"I love you and you're far more than I deserve."  
  
Our noses are almost touching  
When I breathe to you, "I love you more."  
And suddenly we're hugging  
And crying; together our souls soar  
  
"How long will you love me?"  
I ask after a pause  
"Forever and a day, my sweet,"  
Is your sincere reply  
  
And then I sigh with contentment  
I know you'll keep your vow  
Twenty, fifty, eighty years later  
You'll love me much more than now  
  
Cause your promises are kisses  
They send a melting through my heart  
I know you'll still be there  
When everything in my world falls apart  
  
It's a blind sort of faith, people say  
But let them scoff and scorn  
Our love was written before time  
Unbreakable ties were sworn  
  
So promise me this, my love  
Not until mere death do us part  
But after and beyond, even up above  
I promise you'll forever be in my heart  
  
Your promises are kisses  
Special and held incredibly sacred  
Your promises are kisses  
Sweet, loving, melting  
Your promises are kisses  
For me and me alone forever  
Your promises are kisses  
So kiss me . . . (A/N: _I_ wrote that! *laughs sheepishly*)  
  
     Mamoru smiled; he was just Mamoru now and without a fancy title to go along with his name. "You wrote it for me, sweetheart?"  
     She pretended to huff angrily. "Who else would I write it for? Demando?"  
     Carefully he recalled the poem and looked deeply into her eyes with his. Usagi found herself drowning into the depths helplessly, and she almost whimpered with the purity of the love that flooded over her. Then his lips curved upward in a smile meant only for her, and her heart fluttered in response. His arms tightened around her waist, and he tipped her backwards so that their noses were touching. "I love you, Usako, and you're far more than I deserve."  
     Blushing, and realizing what he was doing for her, she said shyly, "I love you more."  
     He hugged her closer to him and kissed her forehead.  
     "How long will you love me?" she asked.  
     "Forever and a day, my sweet," Mamoru replied. "I promise." Then he leaned forward to kiss her.  
  
**_Just close your eyes  
Each loving day  
I know this feeling won't go away  
Every word I say is true  
This I promise you  
Every word I say is true  
This I promise you  
Oh, I promise you . . . _  
  


-- Finis --

  
  
Copyrighted/Written:** July 30, 2000-August 21, 2000.  
**Disclaimer:** Standard. Sadly I was not blessed with a superb talent for drawing-- although I do draw a pretty mean stick figure!-- nor a contract with a major label company. Sailor Moon belongs to Naeko Takeuchi, and "This I Promise You" belongs to Richard Marx since he wrote it. The poem, "Your Promises Are Kisses," belongs to me. So don't take it! *angry face*  
**A/N:** Whew! Finally finished. This one was a doozy, and it took me three weeks-- just to _finish_ the thing! *laughs* I think it was worth it-- although it's a lot longer than anything else I've ever written for the Internet. I even took the time to write a poem for it. *shakes head* Oh yeah-- for the senshi's husbands-- well, I really don't know any of their Japanese last names, so please forgive me?  
**Thanks to:** Thanks to: my wonderful spell-check and the voices of *//\\//SYNC. Whenever I hear this song, I close _my_ eyes and dream of someone who'll kiss me with a forever promise one day-- and keep it. ^_^  
**E-mail:** tammiest@juno.com _or_ Dariens_Bunny@sailormoon.com  
_"If I am a jewel, as a dear friend once flirtatiously dubbed me, I am an opal. Fiery ice swirling in the milk-white of innocence. Passion and compassion. Myself to the core." Surprisingly enough, I wrote that. It's just to clarify any questions on my strange pen-name._


End file.
